Of Dignity and Realisations
by CynthiaMir
Summary: Sasuke thinks he can have anything, or person, he wants. Sakura has had enough of this. Things are complicated inside the village; the outside threatens to contribute much more.
1. Chapter 1

"_That's it_. I have heard Enough. Enough, Sasuke." She bit out. "Oh! how can I be so oblivious; so stupid; so naive? How could I ever think that you were capable of having feelings? I thought you had changed, I knew I was getting my hopes up but I really thought that you had the ability of change. I was never this far from reality." A disdainful scorn curled her lips; contempt marked her features. "I should have known; knowing you, I should have known your real intentions. I should have known that you would never love me." She said with sadness creeping in her voice. "I am just a baby-producing machine to you? Huh? Just a tool to fulfil your 2nd goal. Inevitable, you said? OrgANIC?" Her voice rose again. "And WHY, because I am the only woman YOU know well, and who knows YOU! Thank you, Sasuke, thank you so much; for pulling me down to earth; for telling me what you think about me; for making me realise _my own worth_."

"Sakura, listen..."

"NO! You listen to me, YOU IGNORANT PIECE OF DIRT!" She cried. "I will have you know that the world DOES NOT revolve around you, and I _won't_ be with you because 'this is the next logical step' for _you_. I am Haruno Sakura: I am the best medic this village has to offer after the Hokage herself, and one of the strongest kunoichi around. I am not a step you take towards your fulfilment. You hear me_, Sasuke Uchiha_. I still love you, but I refuse to be used by you. I refuse to be played because of my own sentiments. It may kill me but I would never ever want you anymore. I will not degrade myself with that and I will certainly not allow you to take me for granted. I wash my hands off you Uchiha, for once and for ever." She spun on her heels and stalked off.

To say that Sasuke was stunned would be an understatement. He was stupefied. He couldn't believe his ears. He had never thought that she would react in this manner. In that moment, he forgot all about himself, and couldn't do anything except watch her retreating form with his mouth wide open. Where did he go wrong? He just confessed to her that she would be the ideal woman to produce Uchiha children. He had thought about this moment since his return three years ago. She was the obvious choice. He did have his doubts about her feelings but he had taken this step only after completely satisfying himself about it. He remembered when he came, it was bleak. They had found him half-dead after his fight with Itachi and brought him back to Konoha: to home. It was easy to say that now, but that's not what he had thought then. After years away from his village, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to be back; he was apprehensive, though he wouldn't admit it, and instead of going through the ordeal, he just wanted to sneak out again. It was Sakura, then, who had stopped him. Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi. They knew him too well. They knew that he would rather run than fight his own demons. Kakashi had sat in the hospital chair seemingly engrossed in his book, Naruto and told him quietly but determinedly that no matter what they would never abandon him, and Sakura had looked at him with her intense verdant eyes. She hadn't said anything- no exclamation of love like last time, no offers of accompanying him. She had just looked at him with conviction and warmth written in her eyes. It was then that Sasuke had decided to stop running. He wanted to feel the same conviction of an abode where he could belong and where he could have friends and perhaps, a family. He was tired of his hatred which was clawing him from within and pushing him for vengeance. He was tired of the void which he felt within himself. He couldn't take that monster anymore. After all these years of getting consumed by his lust for power and revenge, he was feeling lost now that he had achieved it. He had looked at Team 7: his team and decided to stay and brave the world. He knew he was in for severe repercussions but he had decided to stay.

The Hokage had decided to keep him on probation for six months and he was banned from leaving the village for a year or taking any mission above D ranked ones. He had complied. He was reinstated as a full-fledged Konoha shinobi after a year and a half. Meanwhile he had started to work on achieving his second goal. He didn't know any of the girls well and those he knew didn't appeal to him. Hinata was elegant and skilled, and also a Hyuuga but she liked Naruto, even if he was too oblivious to realise that. Ten-ten was good but he didn't feel inclined towards her and Ino was certainly out of question. Every time he had thought about the matter, Sakura was the only one who was left at the end of his ponderings. It was difficult to accept at first but Sasuke had realised soon that she would be the ideal woman to start a family with. She had changed. Gone was the weak and weepy girl, she was powerful and skilled now. She wasn't the same girl now who used to go googly-eyed on him. Granted, the change had started during the chuunin exams itself; she was more confident and herself, now. And she was beautiful; her features made her person unique. Moreover, she was the only woman who really knew him. He had remembered that moment during the exams when she had helped him control his cursed seal, and later during the invasion when she had thrown herself in front of the maddened Gaara who was already under the control of Shikaku, without caring about herself. Sasuke remembered what she had told him when she had pleaded him not to leave the village, and with all of it he had felt something. He had felt those emotions stirring within him which were there but were crushed during his stay with Orochimaru. He had felt the same warmth; the same urge to protect his precious people and claim them back. He had the same impulse to claim Sakura back. The more he thought about it, the more obvious it had seemed. She certainly belonged to him, and even though he wasn't sure about the intensity of her emotions regarding him, he had decided to work in that direction. It seemed the next logical step.

He had started his quest then. Subtly, he had enquired about his past relationships- she had had none. He had almost grinned in triumph, then. He had talked to Naruto. The normally boisterous ninja was tranquilly told him that she had always loved Sasuke. She had never discussed it with Naruto but he knew. Sasuke believed him because the man sitting in front of him was her best friend. He knew that she cared for him and he had wondered if he ought to pursue her. The idea, however, appeared ridiculous and a blatant waste of time in the light of everything he knew. Sasuke had dropped it, then and decided to inform her about his intentions. He was absolutely certain that she was the best option available to him and he didn't take much time at acting upon it. Today was the day he chose to tell her everything and to propose her. He knew that they hadn't dated but didn't care for such trivial things. After all, she loved him and he was ready to accept her. They had known each other forever, so, there was no point in actually dating. So, he had brought her here, in the meadow behind the Hokage Mountains, and asked her to marry him. Sasuke had thought that she would be happy. However, nothing went as planned. He had given her his reasons, and she had snapped. Sakura had been outraged and he didn't know what to do now.

Sasuke saw her retreating form and felt himself at a loss of words. What on earth did he do to deserve this! He couldn't understand. Her words were overwhelming. Is this it, then, he thought. He felt a sudden stab of anger coursing through him. He had chosen her for himself, not that he needed, she already was his. Why could she not see things clearly? What was wrong about this being the next step? He felt himself panting and had an inexplicable impulse to burn all the trees. He felt like destroying everything around him, it would not do, though. He once more looked at the way she had left, and with a sneer he jumped in the opposite direction. There was no dearth of women, he would find somebody else. He would find somebody better than her. He was Uchiha Sasuke: the only sharingan wielder there was, and he would not allow a woman to belittle him. Never!

A/N- Hey! So, this was the first chapter. This has started with a romantic angle; however, this won't be the only element of the story. As obvious, I have decided to go back in time before the whole mess started. I didn't want to have Itachi killed but I guess, that would be in another story.

I apologise for any grammatical or factual errors, which may have missed my eyes.

Reviews are appreciated, so is constructive critique.

I would love to hear from you.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer I do not own Naruto. It is, and will always be, Kishimoto's.

**2**

Sakura was furious. She wanted nothing more than to turn back and beat that pathetic excuse for a human being to dirt, to heal him, and to beat him again. How dare he approach her like this? How dare he abuse her emotions! After all this time! She had given all of her; she had trained incessantly and determinedly so that she could gain respect; so that people acknowledge her and now, a coward bastard, dared treat her like an instrument.

She slammed open the front door of her house, and it got off its hinges.

"Oh, for God's sake!" She shouted. Entering the house, she propped the door up and moved to the kitchen to get some water. The glass shattered in million pieces. There was water everywhere on the floor and blood covered her hands.

She cried out in frustration. Her hand hurt but she didn't bother to heal it. Instead, she slid down the counter to the floor, and for the first time in years, she wept. Hot tears rolled down her face: the tears of humiliation, dejection, broken hopes, and of rage. She knew she was showing weakness but right then, she didn't care. It happened again. She had resolved not to cry over him anymore; she had decided to be strong for herself and for Naruto, so that she could get him back. And with a fluke of luck they had succeeded. She had her apprehensions but was hopeful that things would be better again. She knew that she still loved Sasuke but was aware that it had to be mutual, and if it wasn't, she was content just to be his friend. Sakura was happy.

She had had hard time believing her luck today, when he had asked her to marry him, more like bewildered. Words were hard to come by, and that was for good for her silence gave him the space to explain: to elaborate upon his plans of reviving his clan.

She punched the floor. His clan! It had always been about his clan. He never cared for the village, for anyone. The passing years had made her believe that Sasuke had changed. She was foolish, she knew now. Lost in thoughts and tears, the kunoichi didn't realise when she slipped into slumber.

...

Sakura heard a knock on her window. She woke up with a start to find herself on the floor with water tinged pink all around her. After a minute of confusion, everything came rushing back to her but now the dejection was replaced with resentment leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

The house was dark and silent. She must have slept for hours. The knock came again. She got up on her feet to open the window just above her, and was thankful, for the darkness concealed the marks of her weakness. It was an ANBU.

"Haruno-san." The man behind the mask greeted. "Lady Hokage requests your immediate presence."

Sakura nodded. "I will be there."

The ANBU hesitated and then after a second of deliberation jumped out of the vicinity. She smiled; people knew better than to deal with the no-nonsense tone of the Hokage's pupil. Sakura took a minute to heal her wounds and wash her face before heading towards her tutor's office.

She knocked on the door.

"Enter."

"Shishou." She greeted. She entered the office just as Yamanaka Inoichi and Shikaku Nara were leaving.

"Sakura, you are just on time. I have a mission for you. We will wait as your teammates aren't here yet." Tsunade nodded at her. Sakura smiled as she spotted Kakashi at one corner of the office immersed in his orange book.

"Sensei."

"Yo." He raised a hand in greeting.

"Are you alright, Sakura? You look a bit...washed out." Sakura stiffed as she heard her tutor's voice. It was always difficult to evade Tsunade's perceptive eyes.

"Obviously, Shishou. I am perfectly fine."

Tsunade slightly narrowed her eyes but chose to drop it just as another knock was heard. "Come in."

Neji and Sai entered the office. Neji nodded at her, the latter gave her a smile. Sakura smiled despite herself: Sai had come a long way since that mask-wearing emotionally suppressed replacement they had met years ago. He was a person now. He was still not confident around so many people and in his eagerness to act normally, he tended to commit mistakes; sometimes, really awkward mistakes, but he was a cherished friend for Sakura, now. He seemed to sense her foul mood as well and stared at her a bit longer causing her to shake her head.

"You three have a reconnaissance mission." Their attention snapped back to their leader. "We have received information of frequent illegal gatherings on the east border. You are to go there and investigate the situation. One of our teams is already there." She spread a map on the table. "This is the location where the leader will meet you at sundown on the second day from tomorrow. Sakura is the team leader." The Hokage passed the map and a scroll to her. "This scroll contains the necessary information regarding the gatherings and the identities of our shinobi. You will leave in the morning. If there are no questions, then you are dismissed."

They bowed their heads and made their exit.

Hours later, just as the first ray of light hit the Hokage Mountains; they were running towards east with Sai in the front, Sakura after him and Neji covering the rear. It would take two days to reach the East border, Sakura thought with a breath of relief. She was thankful to get away from the village for a few days to get herself in order and to decide on next course of action. Sakura chided herself as she deviated again, she must not think about it now. She was on a mission and allowing petty emotions to intrude would only hazard its success. She cursed Sasuke for the umpteenth time and knew that there, still, were many more curses waiting to be used. Oh, well! It will take around two days to reach there.

...

The first day passed uneventfully. They travelled continually through the forest only taking breaks when they were of utmost necessity.

It was the second day when they reached the meeting location. It was just a few hours away from the border. They were early so it was not surprising that the man they were supposed to meet was not there. They set the camp; Neji went to secure the perimeter while Sai and Sakura were in charge of food.

"Is something bothering you, Ugly?"

Sakura scowled up at him. "Sai, why do you still insist on calling me ugly? I may not be breathtakingly pretty but I am not ugly either, you know."

"It gets you off from whatever it is you brood upon." Sai shrugged, not really worried about her narrowed eyes. "So, what is it, now? Did Naruto break your window again?" He asked thoughtfully after a moment.

Sakura had to laugh as she remembered the episode. Naruto had heard that she was severely injured, and in his haste to see her immediately, he had crashed into her room right through her window. "No, Sai. Naruto didn't do anything of that sort. It was...Sasuke. We had a fight. He said something that made me angry." She answered, wondering if she ought to tell the truth.

"Hmmm...The Uchiha has a proclivity for pissing people off." He observed in his serious tone.

"Oh! He does." A frown appeared on her face.

"You still think about him. Don't you?"

"He is my teammate, Sai." Sakura huffed. Getting advice from Sai, just great!

"You know what I mean, Sakura. You still love him." He was unfazed. "I have read books and I have observed people. Pursuing somebody when they are not interested, results in disappointment and grief."

"Not to mention the loss of dignity, a bothersome headache, and a constant desire to pummel everything around you to smithereens."

"Yeah, that too, I suppose." Sai replied with a look of profound understanding on his face. "The point is, Sakura, you must see what is in front of you. The Uchiha is not to be trusted. Any amount of time spent on him is a waste."

Sakura knew where it was coming from. Sai had never been able to accept Sasuke, or fully understand Naruto's desire to bring him back home. The memory of those days when the Sharingan-user had recently come flashed into her mind. Sai hadn't taken his return well. Sakura suspected that with his budding emotions, the first that came to haunt him was jealousy, and perhaps he had felt insecure about his place in their team now that the original member was back. Sakura and Naruto had decided that he was as much a part of their team as Sasuke was, though. The latter even told him as much in front of Sasuke no less, and the artist had seemed content. However, it seemed he had never stopped harbouring suspicions about Sasuke's intentions and behaviour. Unlike all of them, he hadn't known Sasuke before and thus, had no hopes of any kind of reversal. Perhaps, he had been right all along. Sasuke had stayed in the village not because he wanted to but because there was no other place to go; moreover, he had to restore his clan which belonged to Konoha. Sakura wondered what would have happened if they hadn't chanced upon him after the fight; whether he would have chosen to return. Somehow, she was having a hard time believing that.

"I know. What I had would be cherished but I don't think I can bear more. We are not the same, not anymore." She must move on. He was unworthy of her love and she knew it; he would never understand it. He had his chance; he chose to ruin it, now he could go to hell, if that's what he wanted. She had already told him that she was done with him and she meant to stand by her words. Determined not to think about that the ungrateful twit anymore, she was about to light the fire when Neji appeared.

"I detect chakra presence at 5o'clock. They are coming close."

"How many?" Sakura asked already gathering up her things.

"Eight." Neji replied tersely. "They do not seem very strong but they might be suppressing their chakra."

Everyone was tense. There were two full squads whereas they were but three. They started cleaning the place hurriedly, intent on not leaving any hint of their presence behind.

"They might or might not have discovered us. Nevertheless, we will wait for them, assess the situation and then decide on the next course of action. Chances are that this group is going in for the gathering we are to find about. If they detect us then we have no choice but to retaliate; however, if they continue, we will follow them." Sakura ordered as she jumped on a nearby tree, Sai took a branch a few yards away and Neji leapt on another tree across them. Alert and ready to move, they waited in silence.

Soon, the group appeared in the vicinity. They were shinobi sporting headbands from diverse countries, all with a scratch across their village symbol. Sakura relaxed: it seemed no other village was involved with these activities. They reached the Leaf nins' hiding place and continued unperturbed, completely unaware of the three ninja who were now following them.

After three hours of sprinting through the trees the rogue ninjas reached a grove. It was full of tall, ancient-looking trees and unnaturally quiet. Sakura saw Sai's ink mice scurrying through the grass, their targets, blissfully unaware of their presence, were now approaching a tree. One of them bit his thumb and signed his blood on the bark. All of them stood aside as the ground under the tree slid open and a path became visible. The mercenaries jumped in the hole. It was now or never. Sakura motioned to her team. They jumped down the trees and discreetly ambushed the ninjas at the back; knocking them out with a swift move, they quickly morphed into them and followed the group inside after hiding the passed out ninjas in a genjutsu. Thankfully, none of the others noticed any disturbance.

It was a long winding corridor which seemed to go on and on. There were enough lamps to light the way but the musky smell, dampness and the absence of windows proved that they were still underground. After thirty minutes of walking through silt and water, they reached a locked room. The one on the front knocked at the door in a particular pattern. It opened and they were led inside. It was a huge hall crowded with at least a hundred shinobi. Sakura looked at Neji who was looking at her in alarm. There was a dais on one end which was almost shrouded in dark. She could see that two people were standing there but their faces were not visible. She could see that one of them had a tall burly frame whereas the other was smaller and cloaked. A man came up to the group they were with and nodded at them motioning them to follow him aside. They entered another much smaller room. The man appeared to be their leader for everyone bowed.

"We have been assigned our jobs. Four weeks from now, we have to join the attacking squad and disable the outer security. We will rest here for today and start tomorrow for the premeditated point. I want us to be prepared. Our leader is strong but we must not underestimate our enemies. They have strong and renowned shinobi on their side. Even though, they would be caught unawares we must give our best. This is one of the creamiest assignments we have ever had and we won't want to mess this one up."

The shouts of "Hai" resounded. The leader ran a sharp gaze on his shinobi and after a moment left the room. The other shinobi grinned at each other and started to make their way out of the room, as well. Sakura, Neji and Sai followed behind them.

"Do you think the coup would succeed?" one of them asked them in general.

"We have number and the element of surprise. We also have some really strong ninja. I have heard the main leader is quite powerful," another answered.

"But as Junpei-sama said, we must not underestimate our enemies. After all it is Konoha we are talking about."

Sakura's eyes widened. She heard Neji taking a sharp breath beside her and felt Sai stiffening on her other side. What were they talking about? A coup against Konoha!

The group of rogue ninjas slipped in the same corridor from before.

"And they do boast of some frighteningly powerful ninjas. I would never want to go against the Copy ninja and now the defected Uchiha is back as well. Besides, they have the nine-tails."

"Not to forget the Hokage. She is one of the legendary Sannins. There are rumours that she can destroy a whole building with a single punch."

"I have heard quite the same about her apprentice. Apparently, not only has she monstrous strength, she also uses the vast medical knowledge she has inherited from her teacher in battles. They say she can severe your nerves and incapacitate you from afar." The speaker laughed nervously.

They all grimaced.

"Let's just hope that most of them are out for missions, then." The first man spoke after another moment.

They had come out by now and without concerning one another they jumped to their own destinations.

A/N: Thanks for reading and appreciating the story. It means so much to me that you bothered not only to read but also to mark it as favourite and to put it on alert.

I would really be grateful if you could leave reviews, as well. It really helps in improving a piece of work. You are welcome to point out any flaw that might have crept in.

Also, I would be more than happy to take any suggestion regarding the story.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- Naruto is not mine.

_(Thoughts.)_

**3**

Sakura, Neji and Sai were still standing when others left. _Well, it's apparent that Kakashi didn't train them. _They ascertained that nobody was around and quickly dropping the henge checked on their captives who were still out cold.

"We must find a way to contact our border base so that we can interrogate them." Sakura said while removing the genjutsu from before. "It's not safe to be in this place. Sai, scout the area for similar secret paths". "Neji and I are going back to the camp site. We will see you in two hours."

Sai was about to fly away on one of his birds when they sensed a chakra nearby that sent all of them into a defensive crouch. Sakura sighed. It seemed a battle was inevitable. The next moment, a ninja entered the grove.

"There is no need of that."

He looked like one of the mercenaries but as they watched, he transformed into another ninja with a leaf headband. He had a tall and lean built with silvery violet hair and silver-grey eyes. "Akira Hashimoto. Leaf."

...

It was a morning just like another. Birds were chirping and the sunlight flitted through his window. He could smell the tea brewing somewhere nearby: tulsi, his favourite. The mattress under Sasuke was just so soft and he didn't want to wake up. It was so cosy to even open one's eyes. Why, then, was he feeling put out? Not that he was ever merry in the morning or offered bright smiles to random people during the day; that wasn't his habit, it was more of Sakura's but there was just some..._Sakura! _The events from yesterday came rushing back to his fogged mind and he suddenly remembered the reason he was pissed off. He had proposed marriage to Sakura and she had declined! A jolt of anger passed through him.

The bed didn't appear too inviting anymore, he decided to get up. Muttering profanities and threats of life to that arrogant teammate of his, he finished his morning tasks; too annoyed to even think about breakfast, he decided to let out his steam in one of the training grounds. He reached the one where Team 7 always trained. It was empty_. Good. _Walking over to the trees he took out his chokuto and with one graceful swing neatly severed the leaves and branches around him. He felt some of the satisfaction he was craving for. A bit more of the same movement and there were more fallen branches and leaves. Swift destruction was always intriguing- the type where he would severe the neck and it won't even shift from its place; the owner dying without even realising the source of his death. He liked stealth and precision, not the ear-shattering massive destruction. It was more of Sakura's forte..._Sakura..._All of a sudden, the chokuto felt more deadly into his hands and with a vicious feeling creeping into him, he slashed and slit at everything around him. Contentment is never as sweet as in the moment of destruction.

An hour later, he was still dancing with his sword, the area around him empty of any foliage or trunks, when he heard a snort. Sasuke looked up to find Naruto lounging atop a lone tree. He wasn't even sure how the blonde was even sitting there while looking quite comfortable. Shaking his head, he just glared at the intruder.

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto offered him a grin. "Why are you brooding here with a tree shoved up your ass?"

"Are you here for a reason?" Sasuke snapped without dropping the glare. Naruto seemed unruffled. Ignoring his question, he just continued. "Not that you ever go around without one, but this morning it seems particularly higher. Care to share?" The blond offered with another infuriating grin.

"I am fine, thank you so much, and I will be finer if you would just get your pathetic ass off that tree and out of my eyes." Sasuke grounded his teeth.

"Woah. Easy, now. I was just looking for Sakura. Her apartment is empty and she is not with Ino, so I thought that perhaps you knew something. Do you?"

"I. Do. Not. Know. Anything. About Sakura." He spat out accentuating every word with a slash on the tree Naruto was sitting on, getting even angrier when the tree was divided to pieces but that orange dead-last didn't even falter. "When did you learn to maintain your balance?" He asked supremely annoyed.

"Sage training." Naruto just shrugged. "The point is you do know about Sakura. What did you do?"

"What did _I _do? Why do you have to assume that I am the one responsible?" His vein was bursting now.

"I was just guessing. Why? _Did_ you do anything?" Naruto chuckled. This was so entertaining: watching the bastard lose his cool.

However, it seemed the bowl of his patience was particularly shallow that day. "Listen, Naruto. I suggest, you leave right this moment or, and I don't care about the consequences, I will certainly rip you apart slowly and painfully. After that I will blast your irritating mouth to Suna." Sasuke sizzled and the killing intention was unmistakable. Naruto decided he had had enough fun for today. It was time to annoy the Hokage.

"Fine, fine! You don't want to tell me. I think I will go pester Baa-chan. She might have sent her on a mission. See you later, Teme." He looked up just in time to see Sasuke demolish another tree. "...way later," he added as an afterthought and ran off to the Hokage tower.

Sasuke was left with his murderous thoughts. Why is Naruto always looking for Sakura? She is not the only kunoichi in the village. Sasuke would find someone better and stronger than her, that way he wouldn't need to put up with her irritating bossy attitude. Yes, that's what he would do...but...who else is there and wouldn't that mean that he would allow her to reject him? _Him. _Should he pursue her? But what difference would there be between him and those men who run after her, then? Argh...No point in thinking anything. He would just decide when he sees her next. With a pseudo- decision made, he proceeded to clear the remaining landscape. Oh! The satisfaction!

...

"Akira Hashimoto. Leaf." The ninja greeted with a smile and a bow. "I assume you are the team sent from the village?" His gaze roved over them and stopped at Sakura, or rather her hair and then at her. She mentally rolled her eyes and nodded. "Nice hair, by the way."

"Same to you." Sakura smiled good-naturedly.

"We were not supposed to meet here." Neji intervened.

"I was on my way to the meeting point when I located a suspicious target. It was too important a lead to skip, so I followed him. And it appears you did the same."

"We have important information."

The velvet haired ninja flicked his head and they followed him.

...

There were around ten shinobi stationed in the underground camp. "We need to interrogate our captives and get them back to the village." He added when they reached there.

"The village is in immediate danger. We would return to the village. The interrogation squad would handle these men, meanwhile we would notify the Hokage of the information we have." Sakura wanted to panic but that would be of no help, she was the leader of this mission; her voice had the clinical tone she used when dealing with an exceptionally difficult surgery. "We would leave in three hours." She turned to the ninja named Hashimoto. "Hashimoto-san, you have been observing these activities from quite some time. I suggest you come to the village as well."

He looked at her intently and after a moment accepted. "I would relay the message to the village."

...

2 days later...

It was midnight when they neared the village enough to see the boundaries. The forest around them was cold and quiet but the lights from the village nestled in mountains were twinkling, providing them with a semblance of warmth. Finally, Sakura thought, they were back to home; home which might be under attack in _four weeks._ There was no time. If what those rogue nins were talking about was the truth, then Konoha would is under severe threat and they didn't even know who was behind this. She wanted to hope for the best but that would only be a wishful fantasy. Everybody was silent around her, lost in their own thoughts, when they sensed the approaching group coming from the village's direction. Soon, two ninja came into the view, Naruto conspicuous from afar. He noticed Sakura and with a flourish jumped on the branch just in front of her.

"Sakura- chan." He greeted her with twinkling eyes and despite her misgivings, she felt at ease. "I heard you brought captives."

Neji, Akira and Sai stopped behind her. He offered them another grin, his brows creasing at the sight of the unknown ninja and flicking back to her. "I don't know you. Say, Sakura-chan, who is this?"

The second ninja accompanying Naruto had reached them by now. "We will know when the time comes, dobe. Don't forget our task." It was Sasuke.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy as Sakura and Sasuke regarded each other, utter dislike etched on both of the faces. The glaring match stopped only when they heard their teammate's voice. "Woah!" He exclaimed. "Something is definitely brewing between you two. Mind telling me?"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Both of them snapped at him.

"Hey! I am your teammate. I have the right to know." Naruto frowned.

"They had a fight." Sai supplied helpfully.

"Thank you, Sai. That is really enlightening. Now why did you two fight?"

They heard someone clearing their throat. "We have to report to the Hokage." Neji reminded Sakura who flushed and quickly moved her eyes away from Sasuke who continued on with his glare. "Yeah, sure. Forgive me. Naruto..."

She was stopped rudely. "We have been ordered to convey the captives to the Interrogation cell. Naruto, grab tthem." The raven haired man who seemed to follow his own course of speech stepped forward to the silver eyed ninja and took hold of his baggage. Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan. Tsunade baa-chan wants you guys to meet her as soon as you reach the village."

"No time to lose, then." They started to run towards the village.

"Hey I still don't know your name." She heard Naruto after a moment and rolled her eyes."

...

They parted ways at the entrance. Sasuke not bothering to acknowledge anyone just continued on his way; Naruto followed him with a hasty goodbye to them. Without losing a minute, they proceeded to the Hokage tower.

"Tsunade-sama." They bowed to the imposing woman sitting in front of them who only frowned in response.

"I was given to understand that the security of village is at risk." She eyed Hashimoto.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." They recounted every word they had heard in the meeting, Tsunade's eyes narrowing and mouth puckering with each passing word. "Hashimoto-san had been following those activities for quite some time and he had his lead as well, we thought it would be prudent of him to come back here." Sakura added as Neji finished.

Tsunade took a deep breath. "You all did well. We will find out the source of this coup and destroy it. Meanwhile I want you to stay alert but not to worry about it unless you are called upon. The situation is grim but nothing we haven't dealt with before. Neji, Sai you are dismissed." They bowed and left the room. "Sakura, perhaps you would be kind to show Akira to the Jounin rest house. I will call you later, Akira." She added addressing them and closed her eyes. They took it as their cue and with another bow they left the room. Sakura, burdened with exhaustion, did as instructed and went back to get some well deserved rest.

... It wasn't until hours later when she woke up. Her eyes opened to find Naruto shaking her. "Open your eyes, will you? You have been sleeping for hours."

"Naruto...what time is it?"

"10 in the morning. You came back last night, remember?"

She woke up with a start and looked wildly at the shinobi sitting in front of her. "The coup!"

"Take it easy, now. We have already acquired information from the ninja you captured. A group of us was briefed last night. Shikamaru is already brain storming and teams have been dispatched to do what is to be done." He told her with a pointed look.

Sakura looked around her. _They couldn't afford to divulge important info here._"What is my task? What is yours? Why are you here, did Tsunade summoned me? I will be ready in a minute."

She tried to get up but he pulled her down. "My task, Sakura- chan is to have some ramen and to make sure you have some as well."

She looked at him as if he was crazy. "Naruto, you realise that the village is not safe right now?"

"Yes, I do. However, panicking would not solve anything. We are doing everything we can _and _you are still sleepy. Come on, get up. We are going." Naruto got up from the floor. "Now I will wait here and if you won't be ready in 10 minutes I am barging into your bathroom." He winked.

"Like hell, you will." The sound of cracking knuckles was particularly loud.

15 minutes later, Sakura found herself walking to Ichiraku with her best friend. With Naruto around nothing could possibly go wrong, she smiled fondly at him as she ruffled his hair. He just laughed. Her steps, however, stilled when she eyed a familiar figure sitting on the booth, and rage bubbled inside her. His unruly hair was evident. Beside her, Naruto kept walking and slid on a seat leaving the one in between for her and immediately engrossed himself in perusing the menu. After a moment of indecision, she decided to do the same, careful to acquire an expression as detached as she could manage in her current state of turmoil. Sasuke didn't deign to give any reaction to her presence and continued to sit there with his bowl of ramen in front of him.

As she reached for the menu, his sleeve touched her hand.

"Don't touch me." She hissed with as much venom as she could muster in her voice.

"I don't, voluntarily, touch annoying people." Sasuke shot back.

Sakura's brows twitched. "You are calling me annoying!" She bit out with an expression of extreme disgust on her face.

"Are you deaf?" Sasuke sneered and at that moment Sakura thought she would die with utmost content if she could just punch that face to the point of misrecognition.

"Only to jerks and their useless words."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and was about to offer a colourful reply when they heard a distinct coughing sound. They looked back to see Akira Hashimoto standing there with Naruto.

"Hi! I was just walking by and Uzumaki-san invited me in." The former said with a half smile. Sasuke pursed his lips and went back to glaring at his bowl; Sakura had to be more tactful so she greeted him with a half-smile of her own.

"Of course, you are welcome to join us."

"Thanks." He ordered for his ramen.

"So, Akira, how come we have never seen you before?" Naruto asked in between his mouthfuls.

"You see, I am not from this village. I am from one of the smaller villages near the border that have allied themselves with Konoha. I was given the border patrol since the beginning."

"So, you have never been here before?" Sakura wondered.

"Only twice- once, during the chuunin exams and then for the jounin selection."

They nodded in understanding.

"So, tell me about yourselves. You are teammates?" He questioned looking at Sakura.

"Yeah! We have been together since our gennin days...well! Naruto and I have been." She answered uncertainly.

"Sasuke had to leave for a little while to finish some incomplete work." Naruto supplied. The subject was still touchy and as far as Sakura was concerned would always be.

Akira didn't seem to notice, though. "Hmmm...you are close friends, then?" He asked without taking his eyes off her. She just looked back.

"Best of friends." Naruto answered again with a wide grin followed with a frown. "Hey! What are you staring at Sakura-chan for?"

"Uh..." He flushed as Sakura rolled her eyes. "What can I say, I guess she is easy on eyes." The newcomer said with an uncomfortable laughter. Naruto's scowl deepened; punctuated with the background noise of Sasuke stabbing his pork. An awkward silence hung in the air...

...which was instantly dispelled by the obvious one. "Hey, hey! Akira why don't you spar with me? I will make you eat dirt. And Sasuke-teme over here could fight with you as well. He keeps complaining about lack of new challenges." The over-enthusiastic ninja pumped his fists in the air; the other ninja in question only grumbled. "Oh, don't mind him! He first grumbles and then he fights." With shining eyes he suggested that they could go right after they were finished there.

"Naruto, that is not healthy at all. You will be sick." Sakura admonished.

"Aw, come on, Sakura-chan. We may not get another opportunity. Tsunade baa-chan might call us."

So, after many entreaties, puppy eyes and promises of house chores by Naruto, they all found themselves walking towards one of the training grounds. Naruto bounded in the front excited with the prospect of wading new waters while others walked at their leisurely paces. Sasuke trailed after them without a word.

"Umm...Haruno-san, I apologise for earlier, I didn't mean to stare." Akira said without meeting her eyes.

"It's alright Hashimoto-san. And please call me Sakura." At least he was apologising like a gentleman.

The gentleman's eyes lit up. "And you can call me Akira. You see, it wasn't my fault. Your hair is unlike any I have ever seen. It suits you."

Sakura laughed. "Well, thank you. I can say the same about yours."

"I guess we are just two people with strange hair colour. We were destined to meet." His eyes glittered with mirth.

"Actually, not that strange. Our sensei has silver hair; Naruto's mentor has always had white hair. So, I am used to it now."

"Oh! And here I thought I was special." He said with mock grief.

Sakura raised one inner eyebrow. She heard Sasuke walking behind them. Well, it won't hurt to play along and why should she not? She was going to answer back when suddenly, a stray stone somehow soared from the road and was about to connect with the back of Akira's head when he caught it with one swift motion of his hand without even looking back. Sakura glared at Sasuke who shrugged nonchalantly. Akira looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Is something wrong with him?" He whispered to Sakura who just shook her head.

A triumphant shout informed them that they had reached the training grounds. Naruto turned back to them and was about to drag Akira away when the black-haired ninja interrupted.

"I fight first.' Sasuke looked at Akira challengingly who only regarded him with steady eyes.

"Hey! Not fair! I had the idea. I made bargains with Sakura-chan. Then, how come you get to spar with him before me?" Naruto shouted.

"I accept." The challenged shinobi answered.

Sasuke smirked as he walked away to the centre leaving Akira to follow him and Naruto to growl at him. He would show them challenge.

A/N: I apologise for this extremely late update but I was having serious problems with this chapter and am still not satisfied with how it has turned out.

A friend pointed out that I am dealing with the threat very lightly but I think that with a village like Konoha, threats would come on daily basis. So, they would be alert but won't go all berserk about it. That's what I believe, though so please give me your opinions.

Also, I would really appreciate if you could review this story: tell me what you liked and what you didn't. That would be really helpful.

Cynthia.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**- Naruto is the property of Kishimoto.

**4**

Akira and Sasuke faced each other on the training ground. It was supposed to be a harmless sparring match but the glares they were exchanging conveyed something else. The cold steely eyes of the former rivaled the burning dark gaze of the latter. The tension was palpable.

"Oh boy!" Naruto grimaced as they rushed towards each other. "Why does it always go this way with this bastard? Does he even _understand_ the meaning of a friendly spar?"

The two ninja clashed into each other and the sound of kunai rang in the air. In a flurry of speed, they looked for every possible opening like a hawk, trying desperately to injure the other one. Sasuke, as usual, was flawless. His skill was something to marvel at; however, what was more marvelous was the fact that Akira was able to match his every single blow. If he was not better than Sasuke, then he wasn't inferior either. The wind swished around them and the ground buzzed with energy. In a matter of seconds, the ground was littered with kunai and shutriken.

Sakura watched them with annoyance. The way they were going at it, it was obvious that they would have few really ugly wounds after this and being the medic there, she would be doomed to heal them- their bodies that is; unfortunately she couldn't do anything about their gigantic egos. _Troublesome. _Just as Shikamaru would drawl.

It was sweet, Sasuke thought with a glint in his eyes. He could feel the surge of adrenaline through his veins. After a long time, he had had the opportunity to fight with this skilled an opponent. He smirked when he parried another kunai coming in his direction. He flipped in the air and with a sideways attack aimed his leg at his adversary's neck, the other ninja swerved cleanly and with blinding speed appeared behind Sasuke, giving him a painful blow on his back. Sasuke skidded to a distance. He looked back to see the trace of a smile on his opponent's face. _He is not getting away with this._ He grounded his teeth as he stood up from his landing on the ground. Until then they had used taijutsu and projectiles. It was time to up this match a notch. He would show him what suits _his_ face: a million scratches should do perfectly. With a speed difficult to follow with untrained eyes, he wove the seals and brought his fingers to his lips; a ball of fire erupted from his mouth and leapt towards Akira who seemed to be caught off guard with it but at the last moment jumped out of the range getting his clothes singed in the process.

On the periphery, the watching duo tensed.

Sasuke was enjoying this, though. The heat and scent of fire inspired a new spirit inside him. _So he thougth he could compete with me._ He smirked and promptly charged at the opponent with his chokuto unsheathed, electricity cackled around him when out of nowhere the ground rose, and engulfed him. A quick motion of his hands, however, and the sword sliced through his stony prison. He broke out into the open only to have blades of winds rushing towards him. They passed through his body with a "poof" and a log appeared where Sasuke should have been. The sword-wielder appeared behind Akira, his chokuto trailing a line of red across his back. Another gust of wind blew, and the Akira standing in front of him melted into thin air. Sasuke looked around: the ground was empty. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensations around him- the dirt on the ground, the flow of the wind, the quiet rhythmic rustling of leaves, the coolness of temperature and the smell of morning, dust and…_flowers_? Suddenly, the wind was tumultuous and the quiet was severed with the sound of approaching weapons. The Uchiha opened his eyes to find a barrage of _flowers_ swarming on him. For a minute, he stood there dumbfounded. _What kind of ridiculous move is that?_ His eyes narrowed in confusion and then abruptly widened when he realised that these were no ordinary petals; they were rigid and sharp. The wasted minute was all it took for some of the petals to pierce his skin; whatever doubt he had about those flowers vanished and the realisation was more tangible now. It wouldn't work on him, though. His chokuto seemed to come alive in the moment and under five minutes all the petals were on the ground cut neatly into half.

"I must admit you are excellent with your sword," came Akira's voice from his left. He was walking towards him as if they were in his living room. "It has been an hour. We should stop now. I wouldn't want to drain you of your chakra." He smirked with a raised eyebrow. Sasuke narrowed his eyes but refrained from expressing anything else; his two teammates were already approaching them.

"You fought well, Akira. Let me check you for injuries." Sakura smiled at the other ninja. _She is healing him before me!_ He watched as Sakura pulled him from the ground and laughed at something he said. Behind her, Naruto was shaking with laughter. "So, flowers, huh? Flowers, teme? Hahaha. That was a nice one, Akira. What was it, anyway?" The whiskered ninja asked him while brushing his tears of mirth.  
>"Kamikaze no jutsu. Every natural object animate or inanimate possesses a certain amount of chakra. I merely utilise that chakra giving it a direction and intensity. That's what I did with flowers. I have been waiting to try this one for a while." Akira added with a wink.<p>

Naruto's brows were creased. "You use Nature's chakra!? How did you do that so effortlessly? I trained with the toad sages but I can't do that."

"My chakra is in sync with Nature's chakra, Naruto. That is one of the specialties of my village. We are born with this. You can say this is our kekkai genkai."

"Woah! You mean everyone from your village can do that?" The self-proclaimed future Hokage's eyes were wide with surprise. He, clearly, had a lot to learn about the land which was going to be his responsibility in coming years.

"Uh…it's not that easy. The chakra of nature is enormous but it comes with its pitfalls. If you are not able to control it properly, it can destroy you. It can overwhelm you and make you insane. This is why we have a very small number of ninja from our village." Akira replied.

"There: as good as new." Sasuke heard Sakura talking to the worthless ninja boasting about his capabilities. _Stupid._

Throwing a dirty look towards the male ninja, he stepped forward to have his injuries healed. He haughtily offered his arm to Sakura and waited for her to heal it, and waited…and waited…and with growing confusion waited some more. The kunoichi, however, just stood there as if mulling over something.

"Sakura." He reminded her impatiently.

She looked at him and took his arm, checking for the worst one as she mended it quickly.

"There, Sasuke. I have healed the worst ones." She said without any emotion in her voice. Gone was the merry tone she had while talking to that man who was rapidly losing his worth as a human being, now. "If you wish, you can go over to the hospital and get yourself healed completely. I have something _more important_ to tend to."With that suggestion she turned and left the ground. There was silence and at that moment Sasuke found it really hard to keep his face impassive. Blood was pounding in his ears but there was something else at the pit of his heart that he hadn't felt since a long time. It was like a part of his heart had disappeared leaving something hollow in its wake.

"What the…" Sasuke heard Naruto sputter. The next moment he was facing his teammate. "Okay, Sasuke, spill it now. What did you do to irk her?" he tapped his foot impatiently.

Sasuke kept his mouth shut. It was not the dobe's business. Besides, he was still grasping what she had just done. "The hell with it!" He heard him exclaim and run off after Sakura.

"I think I should leave. I would look forward to another spar Uchiha-san." The man who was the root of all problems said from his side after a minute of silence. Obviously, he was ignored. Sasuke stood his ground contemplating the futility of everything. Sakura was cold to him, Naruto was annoyed - not that he would ever accept the very idea of getting concerned over these facts - but the fact that he was, couldn't be ignored. Naruto would come round but what would he do with Sakura. Was she really that angry that she refused to heal him properly? With an annoyed mental roll of eyes he reminded himself that she had done just that. Sasuke knew her. It was not in her nature to _not _heal her friends or to leave it unfinished. What should be the next step, then?

"Uchiha-san?"

And what on earth was this dork still doing here.

"Right." He heard him declare after another minute. "Maybe you should learn etiquettes, Uchiha. It would be beneficial in the far and near future. Maybe _I_ could teach you some." The dark haired man finally turned his cold gaze at the jerk insulting him.

"And It would be beneficial for _you_ to stay away from me…and Sakura." He answered with venom dripping from his voice.

"Why?" A crooked smile played on Akira's lips, his eyes glinting with jocularity. "Are you envious, Uchiha?"

The said Uchiha merely glared at him; instead of throwing words, he could always throw punches, kunai, shuriken and the likes on him. He was about to ponder over this matter further when he felt a familiar chakra signature and his already short temper lost more of its length that day. It was that emotionless, pretentious, infuriating replacement of Sasuke.

Sai appeared in front of the two ninja. "Uchiha, Hashimoto-san." He greeted with that fake smile of his. "I was under the impression that you two were with Sakura and Naruto. Can you inform me of their whereabouts?"

Sasuke turned his glare on him in response. Akira shook his head. "They just left, Sai."

"Well, then." He replied, unperturbed. "Hokage-sama wants you two in her office right now." He was about to leave but then his gaze wandered over to Sasuke who seemed to be more sulky than usual to him, so much so that being a part of Team 7, Sai deemed it his duty and felt obliged to clear his mood.

"Why do you have your knickers in a twist, Uchiha? You have bruises all over. Did you fight with somebody?" He asked with what he imagined a friendly grin and which came out as anything but friendly. At least, to Sasuke.

The man in question looked irritably at him and decided that his quota for today was quite full. Forming hand seals, he disappeared from there, leaving a mildly confused Sai in his wake who turned to Akira.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"I think he didn't quite like the knickers imagery, Sai." Akira tried to point out helpfully, the effect however, was ruined as the stupid grin didn't budge from his face.

"I see. I read it in a book, though. I think I will have to cross-check the appropriate situation, again." He said with his ever-present fake smile . "You heard the Hokage's orders. You should leave if you don't want a table thrown on your face." He instructed with absolute solemnity and left as suddenly as he had appeared. Akira stared at the place where the two men were standing as he mused over the normalcy status of Konoha ninjas and with a shrug finally left the ground.

…

Sasuke found himself in the crowded Hokage's office fifteen minutes later. Hyuuga Neji was standing next to him and then, Sakura and Naruto who were chuckling for some unknown reason. He had bumped into the two of them outside the door. Naruto had looked at him suspiciously before approaching him with clenched fists and a determined gait. Sakura, however, had stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. Now, both of them were standing there apparently unable to stop their giggles_. Pathetic._

Tsunade cleared her throat and everybody snapped to attention. "This meeting is highly classified…," she started, " and none of you are allowed to talk about this anywhere except the designated places. You all know about the threat looming over Konoha. We get these threats quite often and at first we had thought that this was one of those. However," she took a long breath, "this time...it is serious. We have reasons to suspect that somebody from the inside is mixed up with the coup."

There were startled breaths in the room.

"We…" She resumed just as the window opened and in came Kakashi. Sasuke snorted along with Sakura and Naruto. _Of course. It's a wonder he arrived during the meeting and not after it._"Nice of you to join us Kakashi." The woman behind the desk looked almost murderous.

"I…uh…was with Ibiki. The masked ninja casually walked over to where his teammates were standing.

"Right…" the Hokage started again. "The village has been threatened from the inside and by somebody from the upper echelons." She waited to let the information sink in. "It's time for you to be a loyal shinobi and eliminate those elements which are threatening to destroy the peace and stability of your village, no matter what or who they are. You have been assigned team - leaders who have been informed of the situation. They will inform you as they see fit. Shizune will give you the scroll which has all the details. I wish you the best and expect the same from you." The Hokage finished as Shizune distributed the scrolls. Sasuke looked down on his own. He was on Kurenai's team with Tenten and Hinata. _Great!_

"Sakura, Inuzuka and Hashimoto, you are on my team. Follow me."He heard Kakashi calling them. _Just great!_

…

Sakura was on the reconnaissance team which was to scout the forest for the enemy hide-outs. They were one of the teams probing and securing the forest against the probable attack. Being the team-leader, Kakashi had decided that they would run towards the east border where they had first detected the signs of altercation. The journey was smooth and they didn't meet any ninja except their own.

"I don't detect any alien scent here. There's just forest." Kiba said with a frown after few hours.

"And I don't hear anything out of the ordinary." kakashi expressed his own thoughts. "This doesn't bode well." She heard the uneasiness in his voice and for her _that_ didn't bode well. Seeing a disconcerted Kakashi can never be a good sign. The panic she had been suppressing threatened to spill out.

"It is miniscule but I do feel certain variations in chakra. The scale is small so I can't say whether it is nature's or not; however, it seems just too sharp to be natural. I am guessing it's honed and thus belongs to a seasoned shinobi. Somebody powerful."Akira informed from beside her. The words were ominous but there was information. She could do something with that.

"Do you think it's a genjutsu? Is that the reason we can't detect anything?" She asked Kakashi who removed his Konoha headband from his left eye and promptly halted.

"If it is, then it's extremely complicated and layered." He said, his voice steady but his eyes observant.

"Kai." With an exchange of glances, all of them called together. The air around them shifted but they could still feel the threads trapping them.

"What does this mean? Is this a ploy to detain us here? Or do they really have an important base here?" Kiba asked in an annoyed voice. He wasn't good at illusionary techniques and being trapped in one was making him restless.

"We will remove this step by step. Instead of focusing on the entire area, we will focus on the point in front of us. Remember that a layered genjutsu is like a web, and we have to perforate it." Kakashi instructed calmly folding his fingers in the necessary seals and the result was instantaneous. Sakura could feel the chakra drilling the invisible haze around them. They did it again and their attempts were effective. The presence of a sharingan didn't hurt as well. She smiled through the tension. Situations can be difficult but as long as her team is there, they would always triumph. With a burst of chakra, the genjutsu surrounding their immediate area was dispelled. She opened her eyes and the scene was more real now, more alive.

"Well! What is it, then?" Kiba's gruff voice came from her side. "I still don't smell or hear anything quite distinct."

"Nor do I sense anything much different in the chakra pattern." Akira said, confused.

It was Kakashi who spoke, "It was a distraction. Kiba was right. This was a ploy to keep us away from somewhere for as long as possible," his voice tense in the forbidding silence that suddenly seemed to engulf them.

"Which way, then? Ahead or back to the village?" Sakura articulated the dilemma forming in everybody's mind.

Before they could decide, however, there was a flutter of wings and a huge bird of ink descended right in front of them revealing a disheveled Sai, his fake smile conspicuously absent.

"Hatake-san. The village is under attack. We need to get back, now." They were too stunned to react to the urgency in his voice for a moment, and when the words registered in their minds there was no moment to waste. Sai drew two more birds and they were flying back to the village as fast as they could.

"Sai, what is happening?" Sakura shouted through the wind whipping against her.

"We were attacked a few hours after you left. Shino, Neji and I were reconnoitering inside the village when the first wave came from the east. Nobody was ready. The people in charge of assembling the forces were still working. Many of us were and still are in the forest. I sent my ink messages to every team but there was no response."

"A large area of forest is under a genjutsu. We had just managed to dispel the one covering our area when you landed." Sakura replied.

Sai nodded his head in understanding. "It explains things. I have been hovering over the forest since last hour but I couldn't see anyone. You are the first team to be found."

"I don't understand! The attack was to happen after four damned weeks," Kiba hollered from the back.

"It's obvious. They found out that we knew about the coup. What they had in their favour was the element of surprise. So, they decided to use it now." Kakashi was the one to reply this time. "Do we know the leader?"

"Not yet. The attack was so sudden that there was no time for anything and nobody had come to take the responsibility of the attack. We had to concentrate our forces in defense. Lee and others were rescuing the civilians when I was leaving. It has been hours, though." Sai finished as they neared the village. They could see Konoha engulfed in flames; the cries of battle were echoing in the air. Sai surveyed the village from above before swooping down on the main gate. All of them jumped down to join their comrades.

Sakura immediately ran to the hospital acutely aware that it would need all the hands they could manage. The path wasn't easy, though. The village was under attack from all three sides. Destruction was evident and so was death. Blood and mutilated body parts were scattered on the main road. She shuddered to think of her friends. There were people fighting on every nook and corner. The village had been breached, she suddenly realised! But, how? _The entrance is still intact._ With a shock she remembered the conversation she had heard days ago. Somebody from the village was involved or, perhaps, even leading the attack. She quickened her steps but had to stop when a ninja jumped in front of her. Her eyes widened when she realised that the man was wearing the uniform of Root. Her heart skipped a beat. _It couldn't be!_ For a disorienting moment, she thought that he was there to give her some information but the stance of the man standing there clarified his intentions. She prepared herself to fight when somebody else attacked her from behind. With a grace possible only after years of training, she flipped to the side only to tackle another ninja clad in Root's dress. They were _cornering_ her! She didn't want to think of the implications of this premeditated attack, and she had no time if she wanted to live. Two clones of Sakura appeared, all of them whipping out a kunai and jumping on the nearest ninja in a flash. A fierce battle ensued. They were no match for her immense strength but they were quicker. Sakura formed a scalpel and charged. She had her own tricks of choice. They would know not to underestimate a medical ninja. Her eyes flashed as she felt it touch her opponent's abdomen. Promptly, he fell on his knees. With another precise movement, she severed the nerves on his neck. _One down, two to go. _She turned around just in time to feel one of her clones poofing out of existence as pain seared through her back. The momentary unbalance was all the other ninja needed as he slashed his sword across her arms. Her chakra gathered in her fist as anger coursed though her veins. The next moment there was a loud crunch as a huge hole appeared in the wall next to her and the ninja was no where to be seen. _Too weak._ She thought with contempt. Cracking her knuckles she turned around to deal with her last enemy when the ground parted and a jaw-cracking blow connected with her chin. The air filled with an ear-shattering noise as Sakura went flying into the shop across the road and the tart metallic taste of blood overwhelmed her senses. She raised her head to see a huge silhouette with a gigantic hammer. The dust settled to reveal a hulky man clad in an iron helmet. The chakra cover surrounding her head receded back and she felt the damage already settling in. There were no broken parts but the pain was blinding. It was imperative to heal her wound immediately but with the danger literally looming in front of her, she couldn't afford to do that. Supporting her weight on wobbly legs, she stood up; her survival instinct banishing every other concern to the margins. All that training for all these years was for this very moment. And now when the hour of glory was here, she wouldn't fall down. With a grim determination of self-assurance, she charged upon her opponents.

"Shannaro!" Her retort, it seemed, was unexpected for they couldn't dodge the punch that was aimed for them. The larger man was flung on the earlier ninja, crushing him to a battered pulp. The former, however, shook his head vigorously and stood up glaring at the kunoichi who had just shattered his ribs. Sakura braced herself for another blow of that hammer. They ran towards each other and just when they were about to collide, a limp body came flying from the other direction and clashed with the armour-clad man. Astounded with the abrupt interruption, she checked around to look for an ally. There was none. _The casualty of a vicious battle waging nearby, then._ She must finish this fight quickly or there would be another. If they actually wanted to capture her, then she must not engage in any battle for now and if she gets caught in it, then be prepared which she wasn't at the moment. She pulled out her shurikens and threw it on the offending ninja. The next moment, she frowned with confusion when a huge volley of a myriad of weapons joined her measly number of projectiles. A shadow leapt over her to stand in between the two fighters. Her white shirt stained with blood and with bruises on her arms, Tenten grinned back at her.

"Hey there, Sakura! Need some help?" She called while summoning a ridiculously big axe out of her scroll. With dexterous movement of hands, she hurled it on the other ninja who was yet to speak a word. The axe soared through the air, the male ninja positioned his own hammer and the two weapons met with a deafening bang. Sakura huffed when she saw that the man was still standing with his hammer which was skewed now but the axe was lost in the rubble somewhere.

"Damn!" She heard Tenten exclaim dramatically. "I knew I should have summoned the bigger one. Never mind, now." A grin formed on the other kunoichi's face at the antics of her friend. This was what she liked about her. Tenten would keep pulling out weapons after weapons and would not stop until her antagonist was something akin to pulp. She could definitely like _that. _With renewed vigour, Sakura stepped forward and joined Tenten. Her friends were with her. There was no chance that she would lose this fight.

"Cha!"

...

A/N: So, here is another chapter. I hope you like it, and I really wish that you could spare a minute after reading the story and leave a review. It won't be that hard, I assure you. It really puts one off to see so many views and just a couple of reviews.

Thanks Mine83 and LazuliLAnime25 for leaving reviews. They mean so much to me. :)

As for the question, Sasuke is obviously jealous of Akira. Naruto, on the other hand, is just protective of his precious Sakura-chan. Someday, he would wake up and realise that she has grown up now but till then, there's Naruto Uzumaki for you.

I will be looking forward to your reviews.

Cynthia


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer - **Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.

**5**

Sasuke had been doing a mock drill when the first attack happened. There was a loud bang from the east, and then there was chaos. The sirens throughout the village had started blaring at full volume, people were running everywhere- both ninja and civilians. He looked at his team. Kurenai was busy speaking to somebody on her radio transmitter, Hinata had her byakugan activated and was looking agitatedly towards the source of noise, Tenten was already in a defensive position, looking left and right while impatiently trying to catch the former's attention.

"There…is an attack. The East wall is under attack!" The Hyuuga heiress gasped, her voice increasing with every word, just as Kurenai finished her talk.

"The village is under attack. We have to gather there, now. Let's go." She spoke in her composed voice. In a flash, all of them were running towards the origin of disturbance. They caught sight of many other ninja rushing in the same direction. He was halfway there when he heard Naruto's voice calling his name. Turning around, Sasuke found his teammate along with the other Hyuuga running towards them at full speed.

"SASUKE! The village is under attack!" _For Kami's sake. Couldn't he see that they were rushing towards the site of attack. _He turned to run back when they caught up with him but Naruto's incoherent utterances halted his steps.

"The village…attack…Root…" Naruto panted. _Root? What is he talking about? _ Sasuke turned his confused gaze towards Neji.

"The village is under attack from the inside. The Root has betrayed us. Danzou is the orchestrator of this attack. They are trying to open the front gate to allow passage to the rogue shinobi. We need you there. Now." The white-eyed man instructed amidst the frenzy of battle.

"Where is Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked from behind, concern evident in her voice.

"We left her fighting with Danzou and his men. She ordered us to secure the front gate." Naruto who had gotten his breath back now shouted.

"Then I must go and aide her. Hinata, go to the East wall. Sasuke and Tenten, go to the front gate." The genjutsu master ordered before vanishing on the spot.

With a nod to Neji and a quick glance in Naruto's direction, Hinata continued back whereas the others started for the main gate.

"Naruto, where are others?" Sasuke asked Naruto while running over the rooftops. The frenetic streets were falling behind and the increasingly silent and empty roads below them appeared ominous.

"Many of us are in the forest. Sai has been given the task to inform them of this development. Both Sakura and Kakashi are out there, as well, " Naruto answered back.

_Shit_

They were just few more steps from the front gate when they felt several people rapidly closing on them and indeed, in a minute, they were surrounded by several ninja: all clad in the Root gear and bare swords in their hands.

Sasuke counted :four against twelve, the odds weren't that bad. He could take four of them, Naruto could take another four, the Hyuuga and his teammate could take the rest. It would only take few minutes. Planned formed in his head he faced those standing behind him just as he saw others doing the same. They raised their swords and so did he. Without sparing a second, they charged on him.

Five minutes into the battle and Sasuke had to agree that they were good. The constant onslaught of slashes left him no moment to breathe. He parried and slashed and parried and then parried again. The four were sending him on defensive and try as he might, he wasn't able to actually attack them. This was it, then. It was time to give those bastards a little taste of his reputation.

The darkness of his eyes dissolved as red engulfed it. Everything was more vibrant now and the attacks were ludicrously slow. He smirked. Did they even think that they could take _him _in a battle? His opponents were standing on all four sides and he was positioned between them . It was time to rectify this little problem. With the speed of lightning, he somersaulted and leapt over one of them pushing him forward with the hilt. The ninja stumbled and the moment was enough to drive his chokuto through his body. He dropped on his legs just as the carmine-eyed shinobi pulled off his sword. Sasuke faced the remaining ninja who didn't look fazed with the demise of his comrade. Instead, all three of them jumped in the air as one and brought their swords down on him. _Wrong decision._ The air crackled as Sasuke's sword sizzled with lightning right at the moment the others' swords connected with it. He didn't even have to do anything. The electric shock did his work and the next moment, his opponents were on the ground looking straight out of tandoor, all but one. She had escaped the fate of her comrades at the last moment. For a second, she just observed him. Then, her hands came together and the next moment millions of senbons were zooming straight in his direction. _Pitiful. _The air around him buzzed again and in a blink of eye the senbons were lying on the ground. He had had enough, though. Much before she could even sense him, he appeared behind her. A swift touch of his chokuto was adequate to sap the life out of her.

With a disgusted expression Sasuke turned around to regard his comrades. They were still fighting but the number had cosiderably reduced. Three ninjas or their bodies were nowhere to be found. Naruto was sporting few scratches on his arm, Sasuke looked as Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja shouted "Rasengan!" and his adversary was sent flying to a side wall. Unfortunately, he didn't seem capable of waking up in near future.

Tenten had insane number of weapons strewn all around her, the ninja fighting her was bleeding profusely. They watched him hitting the ground with a rather dramatic sway. The kunoichi grinned at the body as if admiring a complicated piece of art. The two shinobi looked on disturbingly at the gleeful face of that woman looking away only when Neji joined them. He took a look at the ninja sprawled on the ground, the beaming kunoichi and just shook his head as if it was a frequent occurrence. Beside him, Naruto seemed spooked out. It was one thing to kill and another to appreciate it. _Perhaps she had some personal vendetta against him. Or perhaps it was just Gai effect. _

"What?" He heard her saying defensively. "He said I would lose because I am a girl." _Vendetta._

Just then he heard more footsteps. He quickly looked at others. It was obvious from their tense poses that they had heard that as well. Sasuke prepared himself to fight.

"No, Sasuke." The Hyuuga said as he observed his battle-ready stance. "We can't waste precious time here fending off ninja we all know are here to stop us from reaching the front gate. You and Naruto should go. Tenten and I are here to deal with them."

Sasuke nodded while Naruto started to protest. "Come, Naruto. He is right. All of us cannot stay and fight here. We need to move." He told his friend and grabbed his collar for good measures.

"I got it, Teme." Naruto growled.

With a backward glance Naruto followed him. Behind them Tenten and Neji prepared themselves to defeat their opponents as they stood back to back. Losing to them was just not an option.

In few minutes the duo reached the front gate without anymore eventful encounters. The place was flooding with ninja. He spotted Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji fighting off in a distance. He saw members of ANBU engaged in vicious fights with people of their own ranks. Stray kunai, blades and shuriken were flying everywhere. Somebody's fire jutsu had gone awry and now a large number of the buildings nearby are already in flames. There was no one to extinguish them as the sheer number of antagonists left time for nothing else.

"This is bad." He heard Naruto say.

Bad was an understatement. If the situation prevailed, he knew, then no matter how much skilled they were, the lack of number would surely defeat them.

He nodded at Naruto and ran to take his position in front of the main gate just as he noticed Sai sitting on one of his birds, disappearing into the forest.

Hours passed and they were still fighting. There was no end to the offending shinobi. They were outnumbered. Those who were in the forest hadn't returned and those who were fighting were getting tired. It was obvious from their gait, their flickering chakra. Sasuke, himself, was beginning to feel the signs of fatigue. The enemy ninjas were tired as well but there were too many of them. Neji and Tenten were still absent. Sometime during the fight, he had heard loud crashes from outside and he knew that the village was surrounded from all sides now. Then, _they _had arrived. The wall on one of the side was breached as rogue shinobi had swarmed the village. Now, they were fighting and there was no respite. There were no reinforcements for Konoha shinobi, or rather, the shinobi loyal to the fifth. Danzou's intentions were no secrets. Everybody knew that he aspired for the position of the Hokage. And if he was the one leading the coup, then in matter of hours they would be declared as traitors.

_If they win. _Sasuke corrected himself.

But if Sasuke was anything, he was practical. At this rate, they would need a miracle to win and miracles were not for real life. There won't be any divine intervention. Had there been any such thing he wouldn't have been alone, today. But he wouldn't dwell on that. Not now. He caught sight of a mop of silver hair and the thoughts of his teammates drifted into his mind. He might not have family but he had his team; the next possible thing to family, and this was their home. He was incapable years ago, not anymore. He must save the village and his family. What else there was to live for?

Wait! _White hair? Kakashi!_

He whirled in the direction where he had seen him. Kakashi was there. _Reinforcements? _ But he couldn't see anybody else. It came to his mind that if Kakashi was there then Sakura should be around as well. Fending off his assailants, he tried to find her but couldn't see anything resembling pink. Fighting through his way, he tried to reach Kakashi but even he had disappeared. There was no chance to him in that din, he reflected with annoyance when a large group of mercenaries appeared from nowhere and made a close circle around him. Time for another round of slaughter. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You are quite famous, Uchiha," one of them shouted.

"Our leader would be happy to have your head," another informed.

He just stared at them.

"Not one for words, are you? Speak as much as you can, Uchiha. You won't be able to when your head join those of your friends."

Sasuke tuned them out. With sharp eyes, he was devising his plan. None of them seemed like they would pose serious problem to him.

"…the price for the current Hokage's close associates..."

The one right in front of him was the burliest, he should be slow. He can finish him off, first.

"…appreciate the sharingan and the kyuubi container…the hokage's apprentice"

Then he can throw his body on others. His chokuto could do the rest…_Wait! Kyuubi container? hokage's apprentice? _Sasuke jerked his attention back to them.

"Not that I would find fault with that. He would want to remove all the obstacles from his way. And I am sure everybody could use that money." A ninja from his left was saying.

"What are you talking about?" The black-haired shinobi growled.

"Did you not hear anything, Uchiha? We had thought you were smart." Sasuke kept his glare. "Our leader has declared prizes for some of you. You happen to be one of them." That big burly man who was going to die first, explained.

"Who else?" Sasuke asked, without taking his eyes off him. The amount of rage conveyed through his stare seemed to frighten him and for a moment he stayed wide-eyed and silent.

"I will not ask again." Sasuke reminded the rogue ninja.

"Uh…well…there is the Nara kid and the Kyuubi container, the copy ninja, then the Hokage's pretty apprentice…uh…," he couldn't speak more for the next moment his throat was slit and blood was running out of the gash and his mouth. He fell forwards never to utter a word again.

_So, his whole team was to be captured. _

With insurmountable fury, he descended upon his ambitious assailants. Unfortunately for them, within minutes, they were down on the ground, covered in their own blood.

Sasuke decided that it was more important to find them and stay together. He knew that they were capable of protecting themselves but he didn't want to take any chances. This time, if they die, then they die together, or preferably, actually quite certainly, kill together.

He once again turned to look for his friends, and was once again intercepted. This time, however, he was surrounded by Root members. Five of them stood around him. Without losing a second, they were upon him. He smiled as he summoned electricity to his own sword. With a smooth circular swipe five blades slid down their hilts in the dust around him. He smirked. The other ninjas discarded their useless hilts now and started weaving seals at furious speed. The air around him sparked with chakra and in a blink of eye, water rushed at him from all directions. Before he could do anything, though, the ground rose and Sasuke was engulfed in a stone prison for the second time that day. _Not again. _He thought with irritation. Before he could do anything, the stones disintegrated showering him with buckets of dust. He grounded his teeth.

"Having troubles, Uchiha-_san_?" The said Uchiha raised his eyes to look at the violet hair man standing in front of him. The members of Root laid unmoving on the ground.

_Hashimoto Akira. One of these days I am going to show him what trouble really means._

"I would say, you should take a shower as soon as this is over. Dust is unbecoming on you." He continued ignoring his murderous eyes.

Sasuke was about to spat something when he remembered that he was on Sakura's team. "Where is Sakura?" He enquired.

Akira frowned at the urgency in his voice. "She left for the hospital as soon as we arrived."

Without another word or gesture, Sasuke disappeared on the road leading into the village towards the hospital. His brain registered Akira's distant voice but he didn't answer. People were fighting around him on the streets. There were fallen walls, broken doors, and trampled plants everywhere. He didn't stop to help. Sakura would most probably be alone and if that man from before had been right, she was unaware of the grave danger she was in. His heart started to race as he slashed on everything and everybody that dared to come his way.

…

Sakura and Tenten finished that humongous Hammer-wielding man with a combined blow of the former's chakra charged fist and the latter's own hammer. The man was three feet into the ground, literally and they stood there for a moment appreciating their collective handiwork.

"You know what, I really think that we would be a good team." Tenten remarked satisfied with the situation of the man lying underneath.

"You know what, I think the same." Sakura replied with a smile.

"So, are you coming to the main gate? That is the site of main action, I have heard." The former asked, ready to run.

"So I have seen but I need to go to the hospital. Shizune and Lady Tsunade would need me." Sakura turned in the opposite direction.

"Uh…Sakura, do you know anything?" The medic stopped at the tension in her friend's voice. Something was extremely wrong. With vulnerability written in her eyes, she turned and waited for the other kunoichi to elaborate.

"Danzou is the leader of this coup. The last time I heard, Tsunade-sama was fighting with him. It was hours ago, though. I have no idea what is happening now."

Sakura's eyes widened. _Danzou is responsible for this!_ Then, she registered that her shishou was _fighting_ with him. All thoughts of going to the hospital vanished as she rushed for the Hokage tower at full speed with Tenten following her after a minute.

The hadn't reached even half way when they saw Shizune. They called each other at the same time.

"Where is shishou, Shizune?" Sakura asked as she noticed the bloodied state of her senior. She was sporting several wounds and few kunai were still embedded in her body.

"She has fallen," the companion of the Hokage was dazed, "they have her." She would have fallen had Tenten not caught her.

_Ha! That's not even possible. _"Shizune, do you even know what you are saying. We are talking about Tsunade. Now take a deep breath and tell me where she is."

"Danzou captured her, Sakura. Don't you understand? He had sharingan. He defeated her." And as if she had just understood the reality of her words, her mouth fell open and she stared wide-eyed at Sakura. "We have to leave, now! Danzou had ordered for your capture, yours and many others. We must leave Sakura, now!" She was frantic in her awareness.

"I am not leaving shishou." Sakura announced as she started to run again, her heartbeat audible over all the commotion of distant battle. _They won't have her, not with me around._

"Tenten, take Shizune away. Find everyone. Tell them to leave. We cannot win this in this condition. And if I don't come back…tell Naruto the village depends on him. GO!" She shouted when Tenten didn't move.

"Sakura, you can't do anything. We will take her back, all of us together. Please, come back." Tenten entreated. "Sakura, are you listening to me?"

"Go, Tenten, Shizune," Sakura replied without looking back. "I will see you later." She could hear their gradually receding calls. _Now is not the time._

The Hokage tower was in view but it was empty. No one was there, at least, she couldn't see anybody. She concealed herself behind a wall. Closing her eyes, she tried to detect any presence. None.

She was prepared to step out when a strong hand grabbed her arm. She jerked her head back, it was Sasuke.

"What are you doing?" He hissed.

"What are _you _doing? Let me go. I have to go save the Hokage." Sakura hissed back.

"And you think you can do it alone!?" The arrogant jerk raised a brow at her as if in challenge.

"You think I am weak? Let me go, Sasuke. I am not leaving her alone."

"I am not calling you weak, Sakura." He replied, exasperated. _This is not the time._"We will plan and come back together. You cannot go barging in there. This foolhardy attempt to save the day would kill you, and you know it. Danzou is not an idiot. He knows you would come for her. He would be prepared. You cannot give him the opportunity…Naruto…WE need you." Sakura looked into his eyes, and for once, there was no annoyance, just desperation. "You can't get killed, Sakura. Come with me…Please. We will save her but now is not the time."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. With one fluid motion, she flipped and was free from his grip. "Who are you?"

"What!? Have you gone senile?" The man standing in front of her was shouting quietly at her now, his brows furrowed and fists clenched.

_Definitely not Sasuke. _He would never talk _this_ much. "Reveal yourself." She ordered as she got into a defensive stance.

He merely stared at her. "You _have_ gone senile. I will have to knock you out." He replied calmly and took a step forward. Pulling out a kunai, he turned it into his fingers, just as Sakura pulled hers. The next moment, he had thrown it in the opposite direction. There was a muffled cry and then a thud, followed by silence.

The green eyed medic could feel the throbbing in her head; the irritation was driving her mad. She looked at the ground irritably. Her hands were itching to break it into tiny, tiny pieces.

It was Sasuke who broke the silence. "We both know you are here, come out and face us," he spoke without taking his eyes off Sakura whose entire body was strained.

"It is to no avail, Uchiha. Surrender yourself and you will be dealt with leniently." Came a sharp feminine voice. A Root member stepped out after a moment from the direction Sasuke had thrown his kunai in. Her mask was off. Her hair was flaming red and her eyes were the lightest shade of brown Sakura had ever seen. They seem to radiate an eerie light that promised pain if defied. She held a long katana in her hands. Sasuke just looked at her dully as three more ninjas came from different directions to stand next to her.

Sakura was confused and frustrated, now. She was losing precious time but there was no way to escape this.

"Surrender, or you will die an excruciating death, Uchiha." The red-haired woman addressed him, again.

Now Sakura was pissed. She wasn't even acknowledging her. She was so tired of this. Therefore, she did what she did the best. She gathered chakra in her arms and pounded it into the ground. The sudden and unexpected explosion blasted off everyone. They were good, though, Sakura had to hand it out to them for after a moment of imbalance, all of them were on foot again, jumping from one piece of land to another.

"Hn, you could have at least warned me." A disgruntled voice came from behind. She heard the trademark 'Hn' delivered in a perfectly Sasuke-sque manner and looked back. Point taken, it seemed this really was Sasuke.

"Well, you should have expected that." She shot back.

They couldn't exchange more pleasantries, though, for the moment of disturbance was over and the other ninjas had taken positions around them. Sakura and Sasuke turned away to stand back to back, ready to defend each other.

The woman, who seemed to be their leader, let out a humourless laughter. "You are not defeating us, kids. You are outnumbered. It's time to die." She said and all four of them lunged.

Sakura and Sasuke had no time to think. There were only two options: kill or be killed, and since Sakura still considered herself a bit young to die, there really was no choice. So, with all her might she concentrated on the job of a shinobi. She concentrated on killing her antagonists.

Sasuke was fighting their leader and she was dealing with the other three of them. They were lithe and quick. Sakura had to accept that it was quite difficult fighting all of them at once. To top that, they seem to be taijutsu experts. Even she was astonished at the number of punches and kicks she was deflecting at once. Not for the first time, she sent her silent thanks to Tsunade..._Tsunade!_She exhaled sharply. She had totally forgotten about her. Danzou had taken her captive; she had to save her! However, deep down she knew that it was a lost cause...for then. She had to concentrate on that fight and get out of there. However, her three adversaries gave her no respite to even weave hand seals. She could imagine a number of ways to literally crush them only if she could just make a clone. She chanced a glance at Sasuke who was engaged in a ferocious sword fight with the Root kunoichi. From the looks of it, the fight was going to be a long one. None of them were showing any sign of fatigue. Sakura was rudely forced to turn her attention back to her fight, as she felt a strong kick on her ribs that almost made her stumble. She had to crouch and the three members were immediately upon her. It was even more difficult to keep up from her stance. Supremely annoyed with her position, she abandoned all attempts at tackling their attacks. Without heeding them, she gathered chakra in her feet and slammed the ground. The earth beneath them roared and cracked.

That one moment was all the distraction she needed. Before they could attack her, she had already made a clone of her who promptly fell upon them. Rapidly forming seals, she touched the ground. Branches shot out and wrapped themselves around the fighting shinobi. In a matter of seconds, they were strangled and being choked. She could hear the satisfying crunch of bones cracking slowly. Again, taking advantage of the small window, she formed chakra scalpels in her hands and slashed the throat of one of them. Soothing red spilled out and the shinobi hit the ground never to move again. Sakura turned to the next shinobi noticing with a sigh that he was already free of his captivity. With a huff, she jumped at them. Miraculously, her feet never touched land again. She was suspended in air!

"What the…" She flailed while she looked down at the appendage that had come out of the blue, literally, and was wrapped around her waist. It was wood.

Her eyes snapped upwards and the next moment her frown gave way to a smile when she saw Sai hovering on one of his birds in the air. Yamato was sitting on another bird right next to him.

By then, everybody had caught on to what was happening. Sakura was already in the air, though. A branch shot out of the wood around her and reached Sasuke. Just like he had done with Sakura, Yamato wrapped it around their teammate. Another shoot aimed to hit the kunoichi he was fighting with straight in the face but it failed. She had already anticipated the attack. The female Root did a backward flip and, instead, jumped right on the fork carrying Sasuke. She sneered as she raised her sword to cut the branch holding him.

…...

A/N: Hey, again! I hope you liked this chapter.

I didn't want to bring any kind of major conflict in this story. Conflicts require painful deaths, sacrifices, angst, depression and what not. They also require few tough decisions on the writer's part, and as much as I like reading those angsty fics, I find it extremely difficult to deal with the emotional baggage they dump on me. However, this story, it seems, has taken a life of its own and is adamant to claim war for itself.

Some of my friends pointed out that I have portrayed Sasuke as weak in this fic. Frankly, I don't know how to stage a coup on Konoha with ninja like Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto running around at full power. We have seen Sasuke's training with Orochimaru and know of the feats he is capable of, Naruto can possibly obliterate half of the village with few of his giant rasengans and Sakura would perhaps cause a major earthquake with her monstrous strength. How can somebody, short of Akatsuki, Tailed beasts or the Sage, even attack them? The idea sounds preposterous to me. So, I have taken the liberty to subdue their strength a bit. I take consolation in the fact that they fight and get outnumbered by elite Root members.

Thanks to those who took time to follow and leave reviews for this story.

**LazuliLAnime25**- Thanks for the suggestion. I would keep it in mind. :)

**Tiger Priestess**- I am overwhelmed. Thank you so much for your review. Sasuke has his quirks, we all know; I have even stopped trying to predict his actions. As for Akira, he has his own complications to play out, hopefully, that won't be of an enemy.

**JessicaJade**- Thanks for appreciating my story. I, too, love Sakura and Tenten. I have always felt that the latter is not given much attention. For me, she is the closest to Sakura in terms of personality and the situations she had to deal with, what's with Neji and Lee on her team. Hopefully, she would appear more frequently in this story.

As always, I would appreciate if you could spare few moments to review this story. Do tell if you want me to change or add something, or if you ever feel that I am not doing justice to any character. There are so many people who read and just leave without any review. This disturbs me to no end. Feedback is very important to me. So, please tell me what you thought of my story.

Cynthia.


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